Housing Solicitors - In-House Opportunity
Location
Walsall, West Midlands | United Kingdom
Job description
About Our Client
We are one of the Midlands' leading and most successful providers of high quality homes. Owning and managing around 22,000 properties, we provide affordable, good quality homes and community-based services, creating sustainable and resilient communities.
Job Description
We are looking for three solicitors to join our Housing Litigation Team here at whg.
These recruits will help build and grow our in-house legal offering on housing matters. Life in the legal team is fast-paced and rewarding. You will get lots of stakeholder engagement and you will get to truly build long-term relationships with colleagues who will value your input on legal matters.
So who would this role suit?
If you are an existing in-house Housing Solicitor then we would love to hear from you. We also think this could present a rare opportunity for a private practice lawyer who wants to make their first move in-house.
Our Housing Litigation Team conduct their own advocacy, so we are looking for people who have experience in attending and presenting at court.
Our team works in a hybrid manner with time spent both in the office and from home.
It would be desirable that you have experience using a legal case management system - we currently use ALB.
This is an exciting time to join our Legal Services Team.. One of the three available roles is a more senior position (Housing Litigation Manager) which will likely suit somebody with at least five years' experience. The two Solicitor positions will suit candidates with at least two years' experience in housing law and will report into the Housing Litigation Manager.
(1) Housing Litigation Manager - up to £58,288
This role will report to the Head of Legal and Insurance Services. You will hold line management and development responsibility for two Housing Solicitors, a Paralegal and a Legal Assistant, providing mentorship and guidance and fostering and encouraging professional growth.
You will run your own caseload (likely to be more complex cases) but the key part of the role is to be leading and guiding the two Housing Solicitors and the rest of the Team with their own workloads.
You will:
- Be the lead contact and provide a high quality in-house legal service on all housing matters and in particular housing condition claims (disrepair and statutory nuisance), housing management and tenancy enforcement (including anti-social behaviour).
- Carry out all necessary work to issue or defend claims, and to progress applications and claims to their conclusion, seeking positive outcomes for customers where relevant.
- Work collaboratively with key areas of the business, providing training and advice to increase understanding of relevant legislation, regulation and the litigation process, to ensure legally compliant service delivery.
- Provide support and cover arrangements for the Property and Commercial Law Manager.
- Work with external stakeholders and organisations such as the Courts, external lawyers (including Claimants' and Defendants' representatives) and support agencies.
(2) Solicitor - Housing (Disrepair) - £47,271-£50,087
The role:
- You will work closely with whg's Insurance and Claims Team, taking instruction from them in relation to s.11 housing disrepair and s.82 statutory nuisance claims brought against whg, where the action has progressed to court.
- Provide professional, accurate and high quality legal advice and support on housing matters and in particular housing condition claims that have progressed to court, working closely with our Asset Management teams.
- Carry out all necessary work to defend claims and progress applications to their conclusion, seeking positive outcomes for customers where relevant.
- Provide support and cover arrangements for other Legal Services Team colleagues, dealing with tenancy breaches including anti-social behaviour and other housing management related legal matters.
(3) Solicitor - Housing - £47,271-£50,087
The role: - You will work closely with whg's Housing teams, taking instruction from them in relation to tenancy breach cases and other housing matters, issuing claims against customers where cases need escalating to enforcement in court.
- Provide professional, accurate and high quality legal advice and support on housing matters and in particular tenancy breaches including high profile anti-social behaviour cases. Carry out all necessary work to defend claims and progress applications to their conclusion, seeking positive outcomes for customers where relevant.
- Provide support and cover arrangements for other Legal Services Team colleagues, dealing with housing condition claims that have progressed to court (s.11 disrepair and s.82 statutory nuisance) and other housing management related legal matters.
The Successful Applicant
(1) Housing Litigation Manager
- Qualified Solicitor or Chartered Legal Executive with five years' PQE or more.
- Experience of using legal case management systems and housing management and housing condition claims, including drafting court applications, claims, defences, witness statements, and with sound knowledge of the associated Civil Procedure Rules and Pre-Action Protocols.
- Experience of attending, presenting and advocacy in County Court hearings and ideally also the Magistrates Court.
(2) Housing Disrepair Solicitor
- Qualified Solicitor or Chartered Legal Executive with at least two years' experience of legal case management relating to housing condition claims, including drafting court applications, defences, witness statements, and with knowledge of the associated Civil Procedure Rules and Pre-Action Protocols.
- Experience of attending, presenting and advocacy in County Court hearings and ideally also the Magistrates Court.
- Experience of using legal case management systems and a broader range of housing matters, e.g. tenancy breaches including anti-social behaviour, would be advantageous.
(3) Housing Solicitor
- Qualified Solicitor or Chartered Legal Executive with two or more years' experience relating to tenancy breaches and anti-social behaviour, including drafting court applications and particulars of claim, witness statements, and with knowledge of the associated Civil Procedure Rules and Pre-Action Protocols.
- Experience of attending, presenting and advocacy in County Court hearings and ideally also the Magistrates Court.
- Experience of using legal case management systems and a broader range of housing matters, e.g. housing disrepair, would be advantageous.
What's on Offer
Our aim is to be an exceptional place to work that attracts, develops and retains talent.
We are proud to have developed a culture that allows colleagues to thrive, providing the support, opportunities and environment to perform to the best of their ability and develop their careers.
Despite the high expectation for performance and delivery, we are committed to ensuring that we recognise and reward excellence through our excellent benefits offer.
Our benefits package includes:
- 27 days annual leave, plus 8 bank holiday and Christmas shut down (total leave package of 38 days leave)
- The option to join a favourable local government pension scheme (LGPS)
- Generous sick pay provisions
- Health cash plan
- Town centre location with excellent transport links and free parking
The closing date for applications is 3 March 2024.
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